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<title>The City of the Broken by Lilly Lee (SakuraLilly)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24111601">The City of the Broken</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraLilly/pseuds/Lilly%20Lee'>Lilly Lee (SakuraLilly)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Escape, New Beginnings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Running Away, Trans Female Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:28:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,526</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24111601</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraLilly/pseuds/Lilly%20Lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a life she's hated, Laura plots to run away from it all. There is only one place where a new start can be made, Paradise City. After plotting for weeks, she finds herself standing on the train platform, ready to depart. However, what lies in wait for her is more than she could ever have imagined.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>will be added later - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The City of the Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've been wanting to write something like this for a while now, but nothing quite grabbed my attention, however I am really invested in this story so far and have quite a lot planned. I am hoping to release chapters every Sunday, so please stay tuned for more updates~</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>Chapter 1</h1>
<p>The ticket feels warm in Laura’s hand. The crumpled piece of card has been trapped between her curled fingers ever since she set foot on the concrete platform. Her eyes are fixed to her right, into the darkness that lies beyond the flickering street light above her. The seats behind her remain vacant, a distant barking the only sign of other life around.</p>
<p><em> Come on… </em> Laura thinks to herself as her hand grips the handle of the large bag to her side. <em> What could be delaying you at this hour? </em> The single monitor on the platform shows the seconds ticking up to three in the morning. The train was meant to arrive fifteen minutes ago.</p>
<p>A speck of light appears on the horizon and gradually starts to grow. <em> Finally. </em> Laura tightens her grip on both her luggage and the ticket. <em> Goodbye hell, I’m ready to finally live an actual life. </em></p>
<p>The train starts to slow and eventually comes to a stop. Laura finds herself looking through the glass at a man dressed in a suit, who, despite the time of day, appears wide awake. He nods his head towards her as he departs, slipping through the opening doors and vanishing into the darkness.</p>
<p><em> Weird… I wonder who he is. No one should be going somewhere at this hour. </em> She steps onto the metal flooring and lifts her bag in after. It doesn’t surprise her to find the carriage empty, and she immediately heads over to the closest table seat, lifting her luggage onto the chair by the window and sitting next to it. She breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes her body, letting the ticket fall onto the table. <em> And now, we wait. </em></p>
<p>The train’s doors slide shut, and it begins to accelerate, pulling Laura away from the town she’s called home her entire life. Her hand reaches into a pocket on her bag and pulls out a leatherbound book. She flips it open to the first page, grabs a pen, and begins to write.</p>
<p>
  <em> Dear Diary, </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Today marks the first day of my new life. The plan has gone perfectly so far. I don’t think they’ll ever find out where I’ve gone. <br/></em>
  <em>I wonder what it’ll be like when I arrive, </em>
  <em>I’ve never been to the city before. I wonder how things will change from here on out. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Laura </em>
</p>
<p>“Ticket please, miss.” An elderly voice causes her to jump as she’s finishing signing her name, almost making her pen slip, ruining what she’s written.</p>
<p>“Oh, um… sure.” Laura lifts up the cover of her book to find the crumpled piece of paper lying there. “Sorry, it got ruined in my bag.” She flattens it as best as she can and hands it to him.</p>
<p>“Don’t you have a purse or something?” The man takes the ticket and scans it with the device he’s holding.</p>
<p>“No, I don’t have one currently.” Laura feels a lump forming in her throat.<em> I wish I did, though. </em></p>
<p>“It’s a good investment.” The machine in the man’s hand beeps, and he passes the ticket back to her. “There you go.”</p>
<p>“Th-Thanks…” The ticket inspector walks off, a deliriously methodical pace to his gait.</p>
<p><em> I hope Nina will be ready for me when I get there. </em> Laura makes a gesture to reach into her bag before stopping herself. <em> Oh, right, I had to leave my phone behind. </em> She closes her eyes and leans back into her seat. <em> Well, I guess I’ll have to put my faith in her and see what happens. </em></p>
<p>The train has a slightly damp and musty smell to it. Laura’s brows furrow upon taking it in, but she quickly relaxes, focussing on the gentle whirring of the train wheels and letting her body accept the new senses. <em> I’m going to have to get used to change. A lot is about to happen, and there’s no way to know if I’m ready for it. </em></p>
<p>Stretching her hand up above her, Laura opens her eyes, gazing over the back of her palm. She fixes her attention on the small ring around her index finger. It’s a silver band, mimicking the branches of a tree, small leaves curl off all around her finger in a constant overlapping pattern. In the centre of the ring is a five-petalled flower, the colour drifting between hues as it catches the light. <em> Thank you. Without you, none of this would’ve been possible. </em></p>
<p>Laura turns her hand over, revealing the scars on her palm that begin to trail down her wrist. <em> If only I could hide these as well. I can’t imagine the questions I’ll get about them. </em> She lets her hand fall, hitting the armrest beside her. <em> I guess nothing is ever perfect, so I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. </em></p>
<p>Trying to distract herself, Laura’s mind drifts to the girl waiting for her at the end of the tracks. <em> I’m so glad she’s willing to do this for me. I have no idea what I’d have done if not for her. </em> She adjusts her position on the chair to a more upright one and gazes out of the window, the hazel eyes of her reflection staring back at her. <em> I could get used to this look </em>. She stares at her long brown hair with a smile, turning her head slightly to see the floral hair tie she’s used to keep it in a ponytail. </p>
<p>Laura’s focus shifts out over to the small glimpses of light in the distance.<em> I will have to make sure to pay Nina back somehow. I’ll get a job as soon as I can, get my own place… and then save up to buy her something beautiful. </em></p>
<p>The pictures she’s seen of the city started reappearing in her mind. Towering skyscrapers over the crowded streets below, the peaceful garden that lies in the centre with the cherry trees that border it, the old cottages that lie on the outskirts. <em> If only reality could be like a photograph. </em> Laura sighs and shakes her head. <em> It’ll probably be much more rundown than that, but anything is better than the nothing that I’ve had to come from. </em></p>
<p>On the horizon, the sun is visible, its yellow form peeking over the tops of the hills in the distance. It’s the first hint of beauty she’s seen in a while. The land it illuminates, however, doesn’t paint as pretty a picture. Cracked earth where fields used to be, burnt stumps where forests used to lie, abandoned ruins where civilisation used to thrive. <em> We are definitely getting close now. </em></p>
<p>In the far off distance, looking back towards the life Laura is escaping from, flashes of greenery can be seen. Second by second, however, they gradually become rarer, the train driving further into the heart of the barren wasteland that will become her new home.</p>
<p>Just as Laura is starting to get a feel for the environment, darkness envelops her vision once more as the train descends underground. The door into the carriage slides open behind her, and the same ticket inspector stumbles past her, nodding his head.</p>
<p>“Not long now, miss,” the elderly voice says. “Just another couple minutes of this and we’ll be in paradise.”</p>
<p>The way he says the words imply that he’s told them hundreds of times before and that he’s never once believed them himself. Laura chuckles to herself as she watches the man head towards the other side of the carriage.<em> If only it was that… it would make life so much easier. </em></p>
<p>Picking up the book on the table in front of her, she slips it back into her bag before taking a deep breath in. <em> Well… here goes nothing, let’s see what this paradise will have in store for me. </em></p>
<p>The train rumbles to a stop, a screen flashing with about ten different advertisements drawing Laura’s attention out of the window. She pays none of them any notice and quickly moves towards the door. <em> Each step I take is one part of me that I’m leaving behind, and one new thing that I’m embracing. No matter what is about to happen, it’ll be better than what I’ve had to deal with up till now. Anything is better than back there, you can handle it. </em>The thoughts reignite spirit inside her, one that had faded the closer she got to the city. She takes a step from the vehicle that brought her here.</p>
<p>“Paradise Station: Your gateway into a new life.” The words echo around her.<em> There’s no turning back now. </em> She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and then exhales. <em> Let’s begin. </em></p>
<p>Her eyes open to find a man looking straight at her, his eyes locked on hers. Laura looks at the man, puzzlement consuming her. <em> I’ve seen him before, getting off the train as I got on. But that’s… impossible. </em></p>
<p>“Hello there.” The man takes a step towards her.</p>
<p>“Stay away.” Laura immediately takes a step backwards. She glances around to look for some means of escape, nothing.</p>
<p>“I am going to have to ask that you come with me.” The man reaches his hand out towards Laura, and her vision goes black.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please let me know what you thought of it in the comments~ I love to see what people think and learn what people like and don't like. I'm always looking to improve my writing!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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